


teach you to bloom

by yawwwrp



Category: K-pop, Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, changbin has a flowershop and a kid, minho is a teacher for said kid, they're a lil dumb but we love them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:54:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29198679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yawwwrp/pseuds/yawwwrp
Summary: Changbin's daughter has a new teacher that all the kids instantly love. And maybe Changbin does too, a little bit.
Relationships: Lee Minho | Lee Know/Seo Changbin
Comments: 99
Kudos: 80





	1. Lemon Geranium (Unexpected Meeting)

**Author's Note:**

> ayoooo~
> 
> ok so i needed some fluff so i came up with this weird mashup
> 
> fun fact, when i was a kid i wanted to become a florist and even did an internship when i was a teenager but then i realized that i would have to deal with spiders (the only thing i have a phobia of and am scared of in this world) so it never came to fruition  
> now that i'm older, my home is filled with plastic plants because real ones seem to become suicidal whenever i buy them :(
> 
> it's not gonna be a long one i think but we'll see how it goes lmao
> 
> anyways, hope you're all staying safe! :D

As Changbin pulls out weeds in the backyard of his flower shop, his daughter rushes out to meet him, dropping her school bag off at the counter.

“Dad! We have a new teacher and he told me that my name is pretty and he said that turtles can get really older even older than you and-”

Changbin huffs out a laugh as he stops ripping out weeds and turns to face his daughter with a smile.

“Hi to you too.”

She smiles back at him and kisses his cheek. “Hi.”

Every now and then Changbin mentally pauses and can’t believe his daughter is already seven. To him, it feels like he brought her home from the hospital just yesterday.

“Go inside and get yourself a juice, I’ll be right there.”

As Hwayoung sits on the counter, dangling her short legs off it, Changbin ties a bouquet that someone will pick up later.

“So this new teacher of yours left quite an impression on you, huh?”

Hwayoung grins brightly, one of her incisor teeth missing. It fell out last week and Changbin did not expect that she would take it like a champ.

“He’s great! And he’s not super old like Mrs. Cho was. He’s still old but not super old.”

Changbin knows by now that everyone over the age of sixteen seems old to his daughter though he agrees that Hwayoung’s previous teacher was pretty damn old. She retired last week and apparently the new teacher made a good first impression. The rest of the afternoon is spent with Hwayoung gushing about the new teacher Mr. Lee and that everyone thinks he is very pretty and that he knows a lot. The last part is something that Changbin kind of expects for a teacher but still.

The next morning, Changbin drives Hwayoung to school and reminds her that he’ll pick her up after to take her to her dance class and she’s gone before he can even properly say goodbye.

When he stops by the school in the afternoon, he waits for Hwayoung in the car for a little while but when she doesn’t show up, he makes his way towards her classroom to find her making enthusiastic conversation with what seems to be the new teacher.

And okay, Changbin has to give it to her daughter - Mr. Lee is very pretty.

“Hwa, I told you I’d pick you up.”

Hwayoung turns to the door and gives Changbin her best puppy eyes, knowing full well that he can never resist them.

“Oh, you’re Hwayoung’s father, I assume.” The teacher walks over to him to greet him and up close Changbin is actually a little star struck with how handsome he is. “I’m the new teacher, Lee Minho.”

“Seo Changbin.” They shake hands and Changbin clears his throat. “Sorry she’s kept you.”

Minho lets out a chuckle and shakes his head. “No need to be sorry! She told me she’s going to dance class, that’s really cool. I used to dance as well.”

Now that’s a mental image that Changbin didn’t really need. He nods dumbly and looks over at Hwayoung who is finally stuffing her school bag with her things.

“Uh, yeah. Well, it was nice to meet you, Mr. Lee.”

“Call me Minho.”

“Where do you want me to put the geraniums, Bin?”

Felix carries a row of freshly blooming geraniums through the store and the question rips Changbin from his thoughts that are definitely not stuck on the handsome teacher.

“Put them wherever there is space. I still need to clear out some spots for next week's orders.”

Felix nods and finds some space to put them. “You seem distracted today, is something wrong?”

Changbin sighs and waits until Felix joins him at the counter before he replies. “I met Hwa’s teacher today. The new one.”

“Oh. Is she nice?”

“He seems nice. He’s good looking.”

A smile creeps across Felix’s face. “Ah, I see. So that’s what your attention is focused on now.”

Changbin throws a stray leaf from the counter in Felix’s face who yelps and jumps back a step. It’s been a long time since Changbin has been interested in anyone and he doesn’t even know if Minho is interested in guys but there’s no harm in letting his mind wander, is there?

Over the next few weeks, Changbin meets Minho here and there, usually when he picks Hwayoung up from school. Minho is a nice guy and seems to genuinely be passionate about teaching kids with an endless patience. He complimented Changbin on his biceps once and ever since then Changbin makes sure to wear t-shirts when he picks Hwayoung up.

On Monday afternoon, Hwayoung marches into the store after school with Changbin’s best friend Jisung who she ran into on the way there.

Jisung immediately strikes up a conversation with Felix while Hwayoung dashes off to find Changbin in the back of the store.

“Dad, I told Mr. Lee that you’re going on the trip with us.”

Changbin knows about the excursion Hwayoung’s class is going on. They’re basically just going to a national park to look at plants and animals and stuff and as far as he knows, someone else’s parent already agreed on being a chaperone to aid Minho with overseeing the kids.

“Chahee’s mom can’t go because she is sick and so I said you will come instead so you have to say yes.”

The damn puppy eyes again. Changbin lets out a long sigh and explains to his daughter that she can’t just make promises without asking him first but eventually agrees to come along. He completely forgets about the fact that he will spend two full days with Minho and a bunch of school children until Jisung reminds him later on.

“Isn’t that good? You said you’re interested in him”, Felix asks as he locks up the store.

Jisung waggles his eyebrows suggestively at Changbin. “A lot can happen in two days.”


	2. Lilac (First emotions of love)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys!
> 
> i hope you're all doing well~  
> i've been trying hard to find people to argue with on insta yesterday and no one wanted to it's so sad :( why will no one fight with me
> 
> hope you'll like this one!
> 
> have a super fresh day/night! :D

“Thank you so much for jumping in on such short notice”, Minho says as he ushers the kids in Hwayoung’s class into the bus three days later. “Let me guess, you didn’t know you volunteered?”

Changbin can’t hold back a laugh. “Right on the money.”

Minho leans a bit closer to him before getting on the bus himself, whispering, “You know, I’m glad it’s you who is accompanying me.”

For the two hours they spend on the bus, Changbin is trying very hard not to blush at Minho’s words while Minho is interrogated on which plants and animals they will see at the park. He has to explain multiple times that lions and giraffes are not native to their region and Changbin really admires his patience.

Hwayoung hums next to Changbin and flips through the flora and fauna guide she insisted on getting from the bookstore yesterday even though it’s probably too advanced for her.

“Dad, can you name every plant in the world?”

Changbin snorts at the question. “Sweetie, I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of plants out there that we haven’t even discovered yet.”

She rolls her eyes at him and Changbin wonders for a moment where she gets her sass from. “Okay, but I think Mr. Lee can.”

Changbin swallows his pride to avoid starting a childish fight with his seven year old daughter on a bus during a school trip and watches the landscape rush by through the window.

The accommodation is an old fashioned wooden building and Changbin realizes only a second before they get the room keys that Minho and him will room together.

Minho doesn’t seem to think anything of it and grabs the key happily while ushering some students together.

“Okay, group A I will go to your rooms with you. Group B will go with Mr. Seo here.” He turns to Changbin with a smile. “They should drop off their stuff and use the restroom and put on hiking clothes and we’ll meet out in the yard in 20 minutes. I’ll see you back at the room.”

With that, Minho walks off into the corridor on the right side of the check in desk, followed by a group of school children. He kind of looks like a duck with her ducklings, Changbin thinks.

Changbin leads the second group down the corridor on the left side and makes sure everyone finds their room. He informs them to meet out in the yard in 20 minutes in hike gear and ruffles Hwayoung’s hair before she disappears into her room with two other girls while glaring at him.

When he finally enters the room he will share with Minho, he finds Minho already sprawled out on one of the two beds scrolling through his phone.

He seems to already have changed into some more comfortable clothes for the hike through the park later on and hums a quick greeting under his breath before pocketing his phone.

“So, we will get some lunch near the park entrance and then hike for a bit”, he informs Changbin. “You should probably change.”

Changbin looks down on his decidedly not really hiking appropriate outfit and nods. “Uh, yeah.”

He rummages through the bag of clothes for a moment before picking it up. Great, there’s no bathroom in their room, the nearest one is down the hall.

“You can change here, I can close my eyes if you want.”

The teasing tone is not lost on Changbin who just snorts. “You better. I’m not a great sight.”

“I’m sure you are.” The reply comes out quiet but sincere and Changbin has to look away from Minho to not let his cheeks flush again.

He quickly changes and turns back to Minho, catching him staring for a second.

“You said you wouldn’t look!”

Minho just shrugs and checks his phone again, presumably to make sure they’re on time. “I liked the view though.”

As Changbin stuffs a slice of pizza into his mouth, he watches Minho clean a girl’s face of remnants of their lunch with a smile and he feels his heart melt a little. Minho was already smart and handsome, why the hell did he have to be nice as well? Life really isn’t fair.

Another kid tugs on his sleeve to ask him about the park and Changbin feels himself getting elbowed in the side by his daughter.

“Dad, you can’t stare”, she whispers and gives him a disapproving look. “It’s rude.”

Changbin really wonders what kind of crime he commited in his past life to be cursed with such a quick witted child and ruffles her hair again, just to annoy her.

While the children make a trip to the restaurant’s bathroom before they go off hiking, Minho pays the bill and then turns to Changbin as they wait.

“Look, I don’t really know how to ask this without sounding rude”, he starts off and fiddles with one of the unused napkins on the table. “Can I ask what the situation is with your wife?”

Changbin almost chokes on the water he was taking a sip from. He takes a moment to cough it out and manages a smile. “Never had a wife.”

Minho raises his eyebrows in response but doesn’t say anything further.

“My girlfriend back then found out she was pregnant two weeks after we broke up because I fell for her handsome neighbor. She didn’t want to get an abortion but wasn’t ready to raise a child and I said before she has someone else adopt Hwayoung, I will take care of her.”

Minho’s mouth hangs open as he listens, not in a shocked way, more like he is just processing the information he was provided with. He clears his throat a second later and nods.

“I see.” There’s a pause. “Sorry for being nosy.”

Changbin is about to tell him that it’s fine when the first group of children return from the restroom. 

The hike is not very long since the kids are still pretty young but they seem to enjoy being out in nature and once Hwayoung informs her classmates that Changbin has a flower shop, he gets bombarded with questions about every single plant they encounter.

Minho watches with an amused look on his face, taking on the animal-centric questions and steadying Changbin every now and then when he trips over roots or rocks on the path and before long, they return back to the accomodation with a bunch of tired school kids and an equally exhausted Changbin. He hates to admit it but he hasn’t worked out in a while, though he used to like it.

Everyone splits up to take showers and an hour and a half later, they meet up at the restaurant attached to the accommodation.

Minho, for some godforsaken reason, is completely overdressed and looks absolutely amazing while Changbin tries his best not to feel underdressed in a black t-shirt and pants. Every once in a while, usually when Jisung goes on dates and asks Changbin if he looks normal, Changbin realizes that he’s kind of let himself go ever since Hwayoung was born. He still looks pretty good, if he’s honest, but he could make more of an effort.

By the time the dinner is over, most of the students are yawning from the day’s walk and Minho reminds them that he will wake them up in the morning tomorrow so they shouldn’t stay up too late before everyone bids a goodnight and returns to their rooms.

Minho is once again lying on his bed tapping away on his phone when Changbin returns to the room, humming a song under his breath that Changbin doesn’t recognize.

“Is it okay if I turn off the lights?”

“Sure, go ahead. I’ll wake the kids up tomorrow so you don’t have to get up too early.”

Changbin shuts off the lights quickly and tries his best to ignore the way the domesticity of Minho’s statement makes his chest tingle. He crawls into bed but somehow just can’t fall asleep, tossing and turning for a while until Minho locks his phone and drops it to his night stand. He turns to face Changbin in the dark, his features dimly illuminated by the pale moonlight streaming in through the small window.

“Can’t sleep?”

The way he whispers the question reminds Changbin of sleepovers with his friends when he was a kid. He takes a beat too long to answer and Minho props himself up on his elbow for a moment, trying to check if Changbin is asleep after all.

“Seems like you’re asleep. Well, I’m grateful you came along for the trip, you’re a really cool guy, even if you’re a bit clumsy.” He lets out a soft chuckle at himself. “Good night, Seo Changbin.”


	3. Red Carnation (Admiration)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall!!! :D
> 
> why is being productive soooooooooooo hard :/  
> i always get distracted by youtube/netflix someone save me slkdghslkd
> 
> i hope you're all having a lovely weekend! :)

Time ticks by slowly as Changbin pretends to be asleep while he completely overthinks every word coming out of Minho’s mouth. Somehow everything he says or does makes him feel like he is a teenager again, an exciting, intoxicating feeling.

He listens as Minho’s breathing grows slower and he mumbles out nonsensical words here and there and Changbin really should not find that as adorable as he does. It doesn’t take long for him to fall asleep after listening to Minho talk about being the CEO of pancakes for a bit.

The next day begins with Minho softly nudging Changbin awake while he wears a soft smile and crinkled eyes.

“The kids are getting ready for breakfast, would you like to join us or should i just bring you something?”

It takes Changbin’s brain a second to catch up with where he is and why he is being woken up by an attractive man and not Hwayoung telling him she will be late for school if he doesn’t wake up immediately. When he’s back in reality he nods slowly, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

“I’ll be there in a second.”

Minho chuckles under his breath. “Take your time. I’ll go to the breakfast buffet now in case any kids got there early. See you then.”

Changbin watches as he leaves the room and lies back down with a sigh. He is getting himself into trouble if he keeps this up.

Breakfast goes smoothly and the ensuing walk is pretty much a repeat of the day before with Changbin and Minho supplying fun facts while the children explore the paths and forest. At one point Changbin mentally facepalms when Hwayoung tries to impress Minho with her knowledge on squirrels as they encounter one and helpfully mentions that her father’s best friend is a squirrel too to which Minho turns an amused look at Changbin.

As the day wears on, they interrupt their walk to eat their accommodation-provided lunch boxes and eventually end up back at the lodge in the afternoon, picking up their bags and boarding the bus back home.

Once they reach the school and the kids are being picked up by the other parents, Minho turns to Changbin with a smile.

“Thanks again for your help.”

Changbin waves it off. “Of course, it was fun.”

Hwayoung returns to them from saying goodbye to her friends for the weekend and pulls on Changbin’s hand. “Dad, we have to go home your show will be on soon.”

A laugh escapes Minho and Changbin kind of wants the ground to open up and swallow either him or his daughter.

“Alright, I hope you two have a great weekend.” Minho bends down a bit to be eye level with Hwayoung. “Take care of your dad and I hope we can talk more about your squirrel facts on Monday.”

Hwayoung seems happy about that and tries her best to drag Changbin away from the schoolyard. Changbin offers a weak smile to Minho and watches as he tries to hold back another chuckle.

“I hope to see you again soon, Mr. Seo”, Minho calls after them as they leave and Changbin secretly hopes the same.

Over the weekend, Jisung informs Changbin that he will have a concert at the end of the month and complains about Changbin not making any moves on Minho during the school excursion but Changbin tries to ignore him and spends most of the time entertaining Hwayoung and taking inventory at the flower shop.

Come Monday morning, Changbin has fought with various birthday, anniversary and bridal bouquet requests that were sent to him over the weekend and he is currently trying to discuss them with a sleepy Felix when the bell of the flower shop chimes.

No one really comes to the store that early in the morning and so Changbin shoots a confused look towards the front door to see Minho step in with two coffee cups and a bright smile. His eyes drift from Changbin’s face to Felix’s and he stares down at the coffees in his hands.

“Oh, I didn’t think there were two of you here…”

Felix raises an eyebrow at him before he turns to Changbin and mouths,  _ Do you know this guy? _

“Good morning!” Changbin bites his tongue at how loud his greeting comes out. “What are you doing here so early?”

Minho hands him one of the coffees. “I’m sorry, I only bought one. I will make sure to bring two next time…” He pauses to look at Felix’s name tag. “Felix. I am here to get some flowers for the class. It’s a special day so I wanted to give them a little present.”

Changbin pointedly ignores Felix’s suggestive smile directed at him as he accepts the coffee. “Special day? Is there an event I missed?”

“Oh no! No, don’t worry. It’s just, uh…” He looks shy for a moment. “It’s my birthday so I wanted to give them a little something to make them happy.”

The pure fact that Minho wants to buy a gift for others on his own birthday makes Changbin’s heart hurt and both Felix and him wish Minho a happy birthday quickly.

“What flowers were you looking for?”, Felix asks.

Minho shrugs. “I don’t really know anything about flowers. I will need like 20 of them. Any suggestions?”

“What would you like to tell your students with the flowers?”

The question seems to catch Minho off guard for a second. “I’m not sure? I want them to be happy, I guess.”

“Daffodils then.” Changbin marches off to the back of the shop to grab a bunch while Felix handles the cash register. As he gathers the flowers his eyes fall on the red carnations in a bucket in the corner and he picks up one to add to the bundle of flowers in his hands. When he returns to the counter, he hands the flowers off to Felix who raises an eyebrow at him for the addition of the carnation but wraps them all up without another word.

“Thank you for your help”, Minho says as he picks up the flowers. “Hope you guys have a good start to the week.”

He leaves with a smile and Changbin with a racing heart.

Felix turns to him immediately as soon as the doors close behind Minho. “He left his contact information.”

Sometimes Changbin thinks he could kiss Felix - what an angel, honestly.

Felix disappears a second later to take care of the first bouquet they drafted up and Changbin fumbles his phone out of his pocket.

**_Changbin:_ ** _ Hi, this is Seo Changbin. Just wanted to say again, Happy Birthday _ .

He doesn’t expect a reply right away, but that is exactly what happens.

**_Minho:_ ** _ Thank you :) I checked the flowers and there’s a different flower in my order as well - do I have you to thank for that? _

**_Changbin:_ ** _ Call it a birthday gift _

**_Minho:_ ** _ Does it mean anything? I googled and saw that the dolphins mean happiness _

Minho calling Daffodils dolphins should absolutely not be cute to Changbin. Yet it is.

**_Changbin:_ ** _ It does. _


	4. Gloxinia (Love at first sight)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyooooo~
> 
> i'll be a bit busy at work this week so i might not update until Wednesday, my apologies in advance.
> 
> either way I hope you all have a fantastic start to the week and stay fresh! :D

Every day, Minho will text Changbin some random fact he found out and occasionally send him a picture of his cats. Every day, Changbin will whine about it to Jisung and feel like a lovesick high schooler. Every day, Hwayoung rolls her eyes at her dad being even clumsier than usual and seeming distracted.

Today, Changbin picks up Hwayoung to go out for food after school and for once Hwayoung actually waits outside the school instead of Changbin having to go in and get her and run into Minho along the way.

“Dad, you’re being weird.” Hwayoung puts on her seatbelt and hums. “Can we leave now?”

Changbin’s eyes are still fixed on the entrance to the school and for some reason he ducks behind the steering wheel when he sees Minho step out, waving at other teachers and some school kids before getting on a bicycle and speeding off, not seeing Changbin.

“Daaaaaad”, Hwayoung whines. “I want meat!”

She is her father’s daughter after all.

While Hwayoung is stuffing her face with food, Changbin checks his phone to find another unread message from Minho - a picture of himself with one of his cats this time - and apparently he is not as good at making a poker face as he thought he was.

“You look weird.”

“What did we say about not being rude?”

Hwayoung shrugs at him. “Okay, sorry. But you look weird. You shouldn’t always be on your phone, Mr. Lee says that it’s not good for you.”

If she only knew how much time her beloved Mr. Lee spends on his phone texting her father. He pockets his phone and lets out a sigh.

“Okay, I’m sorry. My attention is all yours, Hwa.”

She grins at him for a moment before turning her focus back to the food on her plate. “Don’t worry, I don’t want it!”

Two days later, Changbin is wrestling with some ivy in the backyard together with Felix and gets hit in the face with an unruly bunch of leaves for the nth time when his phone vibrates in his pocket.

“Let’s take a break or I will break the fucking ivy”, he grumbles out and Felix is more than happy to give up on their troublemaker for now. They go back inside the store and as Felix checks the time, he sighs.

“It’s already lunch time… should i go to the restaurant down the street and pick up some take-out?”

“You are a god amongst mere mortals.”

Changbin is left alone in the store a moment later and fishes his phone out of his pocket. Minho again, he is probably on lunch break as well.

**_Minho:_ ** _ Did you know that tulips used to be more valuable than gold? :O _

**_Changbin:_ ** _ I thought you don’t know anything about plants…? _

**_Minho:_ ** _ But google does~ _

He follows the message up with a selfie of himself eating a sandwich and Changbin lets out a sigh without even realizing it.

**_Minho:_ ** _ Would you like to share a meal with me?  _

**_Minho:_ ** _ Not a sandwich, I mean. Would you like to go out for food sometime? _

Felix returns with steaming hot take-out to find Changbin sitting at the counter, face buried in his hands letting out a groan and he wonders for a moment if he should maybe just leave again.

It’s D-Day, Changbin is surrounded by a mountain of clothes while Hwayoung and Jisung sit on his bed drinking Capri Suns and judging his stylistic choices. When Changbin told Jisung about the kind of-not really-totally friendly hangout slash date, Jisung offered to come over and babysit Hwayoung. He fully knows that Jisung adores her and lets her eat too much candy and stay up too late watching anime with her but he has other things to worry about now.

“That shirt looks like when I ate the pineapple and it exploded”, Hwayoung says before taking a sip again. “Can you wear the bear shirt I gave you for father’s day?”

Jisung lets out a snort. “Hwa, sweetie. The shirt is amazing but I think it’s not really appropriate for your dad when he’s meeting your teacher.”

“You’re meeting Mr. Lee?” Hwayoung’s eyes get bigger by the second. “Why can’t I come too?”

Changbin sighs as he tries on the approximately one millionth shirt. “It’s a grown up meeting, Hwa. You can see Mr. Lee on Monday.”

She crosses her arms in front of her chest and Changbin mirrors the stance which makes Jisung break out in laughter. “I still can’t get over the fact that you have a mini me that’s only slightly shorter than you, Bin.”

“Hey! I’m not mini, I am so tall!”

“I’m not short!”

The doorbell rings a few minutes before Minho was supposed to be at Changbin’s apartment and Changbin quickly runs his hands through his hair a last time before opening the door to find a smiling Minho with a little pot of flowers in front of him.

“Hi!” He awkwardly looks down at the flowers. “Uh, I got these for you, didn’t want to come empty handed.”

Changbin’s eyes drift down to the flowers while Jisung and Hwayoung stick their heads into the hallway to watch the scene.

“Thank you”, Changbin mumbles. “That’s really nice.”

Minho hands over the flowers and Changbin puts them on the counter in the hallway before yelling a goodbye into the apartment behind him and closing the door, stepping out into the stairwell with Minho. After trying for hours, Changbin actually found some nicer clothes to wear, yet he still feels underdressed next to Minho, who looks like he’s just getting ready for a socialite event.

“You look great, by the way.”

Changbin turns to face Minho as they leave the building, thinking that he’s probably teasing him but Minho’s smile is genuine.

“So do you.” He really hopes his face isn’t red.

“Are you in the mood for pasta?”

Despite some awkward silences here and there, the dinner is lovely and Changbin finds out that Minho just recently moved to the city and doesn’t really know anyone yet. Which probably explains why he wants to be friends with Changbin, one of the first people that showed a genuine interest in him.

He gushes about Hwayoung and gets a soft look on his face when Changbin does the same and before they even realize it, it’s already eleven and the restaurant is closing up.

As they take the walk back to Changbin’s apartment, Minho tells him about his family and his cats and his life as a teacher while Changbin talks about his love of flowers, though he originally wanted to become a writer.

Changbin wishes that the walk had lasted longer than it did when they find themselves back in front of Changbin’s apartment building again and Minho offers him a smile.

“Thank you for the lovely evening. I had fun.”

He would be lying if he said that his heart wasn’t hammering in his chest and his palms weren’t sweaty, but Changbin manages to smile back at Minho just as brightly if not more.

“I did too. If you would like to, you know, if you want to go out again for food sometime, let me know.”

“I’d like that.”

He doesn’t know how it happens but a second later, Minho is standing right in front of him, pressing a kiss to his cheek, short, sweet and simple. He leans back after with a satisfied smile and bids him goodnight, sauntering down the street until he disappears around the corner.

Changbin takes the stairs up to his apartment in a trance and eventually enters to see Hwayoung passed out on the couch and Jisung eating a bag of Chips and a bowl of popcorn simultaneously while a movie plays on low volume.

Jisung notices Changbin right away and joins him in the kitchen a moment later so as not to wake up Hwayoung.

“How did it go?”

“He gave me a kiss.”

Jisung’s eyes widen. “What?!”

“On the cheek.”

“Oh.” He seems disappointed but Changbin is still flustered about the whole situation. “Anyways, it’s late. Thanks for looking after Hwa, I’ll text you tomorrow, okay?”

Jisung nods and gives him a pat on the back, leaving shortly after. Which leaves Changbin alone again. He carries Hwayoung to bed gently and is glad she doesn’t wake up through it, then turns off the tv and cleans up the living room a bit.

Before he goes to sleep, he remembers the pot of Gloxinias Minho gave him earlier and puts them on the windowsill, admiring the little flowers for a moment. He wonders if Minho knows what they mean.


	5. Jonquil (Love Me)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello friends! :D
> 
> my fat ass is once again embarking on a journey to lose weight............ wish me luck, i already want fries :(  
> also is it just me or does every day feel like a friday these days?!?!?
> 
> hope yall are doing well and have a great day/night everyone! :)

**_Jisung:_ ** _ okay, elaborate on the whole kiss thing _

**_Changbin:_ ** _ There’s not much to elaborate. He kissed me on the cheek when he dropped me off. _

**_Jisung:_ ** _ :O _

**_Changbin:_ ** _ Helpful. _

**_Jisung:_ ** _ Are you gonna text him???? _

**_Changbin:_ ** _ I don’t know… _

**_Jisung:_ ** _ wym you don’t know?! you clearly like the guy and he seems to like you too so what’s the holdup _

**_Changbin:_ ** _ Don’t you think he’s out of my league? _

**_Jisung:_ ** _ >:( _

**_Jisung:_ ** _ HIT HIM UP _

Changbin contemplates whether or not to text Minho for most of the day while Hwayoung complains that he is clearly not taking the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle board game they’re playing seriously but ultimately decides to let the whole thing settle for a day or two.

Minho seems to think differently though because when Changbin checks his phone before going to bed, he sees a few unread messages waiting for him.

**_Minho:_ ** _ Hi! :) _

**_Minho:_ ** _ Oh sorry, you’re probably busy _

**_Minho:_ ** _ Or I’m being annoying _

**_Minho:_ ** _ Would you like to go out again sometime? _

A plan is made. Since Changbin promised Jisung to go to his concert the following Saturday and Hwayoung is being looked after by Felix that day, he decides to just go for it.

**_Changbin:_ ** _ My friend has a concert on Saturday, he’s playing there. Would you like to come with me? _

**_Minho:_ ** _ Count me in! _

Monday through Friday, Changbin and Felix are completely swamped with work at the shop and come Friday evening, all they can think about is a relaxing weekend.

“Sorry for making you babysit on your day off tomorrow”, Changbin sighs as he locks up the store behind them, sparing a last glance through the window to the Jonquils he forgot to water and sending a silent prayer that they’ll still be fine come Monday.

Felix shrugs with a smile. “I’m happy to do it, Hwa is an angel. In exchange, you have to let me know what goes down with Professor Loooove.”

He waggles his eyebrows and earns himself an eye roll from Changbin. “Don’t call him that.”

Felix shows up on Saturday at six and lets out a whistle when he sees Changbin dressed up and with styled hair.

“Mr. Loverboy must be impressive to get you to style yourself.”

Changbin lets out a sigh. “His name is Minho. And I style sometimes!”

Hwayoung clings to Changbin’s legs for a moment complaining that she’s never allowed to come along when Changbin hangs out with her favorite teacher but forgets about it quickly when she sees that Felix brought snacks and games. The doorbell chimes and Changbin bends down quickly to ruffle Hwayoung’s hair and give her a kiss on the cheek before stepping outside to meet Minho.

Even though Changbin put in the work and is dressed to the nines, he still has to catch his breath when he sees Minho looking like he’s the one performing at the concert.

“Wow.”

Minho lets out a chuckle. “I could say the same thing.”

His ears are a little red but Changbin is pretty sure that his own face is much worse and they walk outside to Minho’s fancy car that probably costs more than Changbin makes at the shop in two years.

“That’s a nice car”, he says bluntly and Minho shrugs at him.

“It’s comfortable.”

The ride to the venue is a bit awkward until Minho starts dramatically singing along to some god awful song that’s playing on the radio and Changbin can’t hold back his laughter. By the time they park and line up to enter the concert, all the awkwardness Changbin was feeling has disappeared and a nervous excitement has settled in his stomach.

Minho sticks close to him the entire time, gets them both drinks and asks him about his friend’s music. Once the lights go off and the music starts, Changbin’s gaze drifts over to watch Minho, who’s eyes glitter in the stage lighting, mouth slightly open, moving his body to the music.

At one point, they get pushed a couple rows back and Changbin has to get on his tip toes to see anything over the giant guy standing in front of him, which Minho notices and before Changbin can even say anything, Minho pulls him closer and hoists him onto his back so he can see better.

“Oh my god! Put me down, I’m too heavy! I don’t want to break your back!”

Minho’s laugh is only slightly audible to Changbin over the loud music and he just shifts a bit to make the position more comfortable, holding Changbin up until the song is finished. When he puts him down on the ground again, Changbin staggers for a second and Minho steadies him with a hand on his waist.

They just stare at each other for a moment and Minho licks his bottom lip, eyes flickering down to Changbin’s mouth. Some drunk girl stumbles into Minho and breaks their eye contact as Minho swirls around. The next song starts and their moment is gone, though Minho slips his hand into Changbin’s for the rest of the concert.

The concert ends and Jisung joins Changbin and Minho briefly to say hi and chat for a little while before he disappears backstage to shower and Minho and Changbin leave the venue to return home.

In the car, their conversation is a little bit too loud because their ears are still ringing from the loud music at the concert and Minho has a hand on Changbin’s thigh as they drive.

There’s a pause in their conversation and Changbin lets out a sigh as his thoughts wander.

“What’s up?”

Minho looks over to him for a second with a concerned look before turning his attention back on the road.

“It’s just… you know. He’s making something of himself, Jisung. Felix, my coworker, he released a book last year. I feel like they’re all just, I don’t know, they’re following their dreams and getting their success and… I’m not. I’m just a dad with a flower shop.”

Minho hums in response. “I think you have them beat.”

“What?”

Changbin turns his eyes to Minho who has a soft smile on his face as they turn right at an intersection.

“You’re a single father, a damn good one at that. You have your own store and you like what you do. You have great friends and an amazing little girl. And on top of that, you’re handsome and funny. So in my eyes, you’re pretty impressive, Seo Changbin.”

He doesn’t really know how to reply to that and just stares at Minho, barely realizing when they pull into Changbin’s building’s parking lot. Minho kills the engine and turns to face Changbin.

“We’re here.”

His voice is soft and quiet and the mood in the car has suddenly changed into something else, delicate, exciting, charged with  _ something _ .

Changbin nods dumbly and fumbles for his keys before looking back to Minho. “Would you, uh… would you like to come in for a drink?”

It’s a little after ten when Changbin and Minho enter the apartment and Felix stares at Changbin with pleading eyes.

“I tried to get her to go to bed, I really tried but…”

“Lixie, let’s play hide and seek again”, Hwayoung yells from the living room as if on cue.

Changbin shakes his head. “It’s fine, I know how she gets. Thanks for looking after her.”

Felix nods and pulls on his shoes. “Anytime. Oh and nice to meet you again!”

Minho offers him a friendly smile and Felix leaves a moment later with a wink at Changbin.

Hwayoung is ecstatic when she sees Minho. She immediately jumps up from the couch with big eyes while Changbin disappears into the kitchen for a moment to get a drink for Minho and himself.

“Mr. Lee!”

Minho sits down on the other side of the couch and gives her a little wave. “You’re up late today!”

Hwayoung’s eyes dart around before she tries to use the puppy eyes on him. “It’s the weekend.”

“Ahh, right. But you know that if you don’t get enough sleep you probably won’t grow a lot.”

Changbin returns to find Hwayoung stare at Minho in disbelief.

“So I will be short like Dad?!”

“I’m not short! I’m the national average… somewhere!”

Minho chuckles at Changbin’s protests and gratefully accepts the wine glass he’s being handed.

Apparently Minho’s talking to works because Hwayoung rushes off to her room and reappears a few minutes later in her pajamas and with brushed teeth.

“I need to go to sleep now!”

Changbin raises an eyebrow at Minho. “Teach me your ways.”

An hour later, Hwayoung sleeps soundly in her room while Changbin and Minho finish the bottle of wine and are engrossed into a nonsensical conversation about bugs. They sit pretty close to each other and one of Minho’s hands has not moved from Changbin’s thigh since they sat down. In fact, quite the opposite. He is lazily rubbing over the muscle while he rests one side of his face on the headrest of the couch, looking at Changbin through slightly hooded eyes.

Changbin sits his glass down on the couch table and clears his throat.

“It’s uhm, pretty late. I’m sorry for keeping you so long.”

Minho makes a soft noise and shakes his head, smushing one of his cheeks in the process and Changbin feels his heart kind of melt a little.

“Would you like to stay here tonight or should I call you a cab?”

“Hmmm… here.” Minho blinks at him a few times, a tired smile spreading across his face.

Honestly, Changbin isn’t sure how this happens because he has a perfectly good couch in the living room but twenty minutes later, he is curled up under the covers of his bed next to Minho who has his eyes closed already and scoots closer to him when he feels the mattress dip on Changbin’s side of the bed.

He curls an arm around Changbin’s waist and rests his forehead on Changbin’s chest with a content sigh and Changbin really hopes that he’s too sleepy to realize Changbin’s completely abnormal heart rate.

“Do you mind?”, Minho whispers after a moment. 

Changbin shakes his head slowly but then realizes that Minho can’t see it from his position.

“N-no… it’s nice.”

Minho huffs a soft laugh and rubs his face against Changbin’s chest like a cat for a second before letting out a sigh.

“Goodnight, Changbin.”


	6. Cranberry (Cure for heartache)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! :D
> 
> luckily it's almost the weekend!  
> we're nearing the end of this one and i don't want to finish it :(
> 
> hope you're all having a lovely day/night!

Changbin wakes up because of soft mumbling close to him, lying on his back with a weight on his chest and feeling insanely comfortable. He blinks his eyes open slowly and finds that the weight settled on his chest is Minho’s head and arm, Changbin’s t-shirt bunched up so that Minho is resting against his sleep warm skin, muttering nonsense in his sleep.

For a moment Changbin panics until his brain turns on and tells him that there is no reason for it. Minho is an adult, as is Changbin. And Minho seems comfortable in his position so why would he stress about it? Minho stirs a little, stroking his hand across Changbin’s chest with a content hum, before he opens his eyes and tilts his head up to look at Changbin.

“Oh.” He blinks a few times and gently pulls Changbin’s shirt down. “Sorry.”

A giggle escapes Changbin like he’s a shy schoolgirl or something and he smiles at Minho. “It’s fine.”

Minho smiles back at him and while they hold eye contact, Changbin thinks they might actually kiss though Hwayoung barges in just then, stops in the door frame and gives them a confused look.

“Why is Mr. Lee still here?”

Minho sits up and gives her a small wave and now Changbin can see that Minho’s ears are bright red. Cute.

“Good morning! Your dad was so nice and let me sleep over.”

Hwayoung glares at Changbin and crosses her arms in front of her chest. “Why can’t my friends sleep over when I ask you on the same day?”

As it turns out, Minho is not just attractive, smart and funny but can also make a damn good batch of pancakes and Changbin is pretty sure his daughter is going to hold that over his head for the rest of his life.

The three of them eat breakfast in silence with only Hwayoung occasionally speaking up to talk about her dreams last night. At one point, Minho’s leg bumps against Changbin’s under the table and Changbin almost drops his fork when he looks over to Minho who gives him a cheeky smile and a slight wink. He keeps his leg there for the rest of the meal.

Before they are even done eating, Hwayoung has come up with a plan.

“We have to go to the museum with Mr. Lee!”

Changbin sighs as he wipes a smear of syrup off his daughter’s face. “Mr. Lee probably has a lot of things he wants to do on his weekend away from you.”

Minho chuckles at their ensuing staring contest and finishes his coffee. 

“I would love to go to the museum with you and your dad, Hwayoung.”

Both Hwayoung and Changbin turn to him with surprised faces and Minho lets out a laugh while he grabs the carton of orange juice next to him.

“Does anyone want more juice?”

Going to the museum with a little girl that’s too curious for her own good and a teacher that has a childlike fascination with animals (both alive and extinct) is a struggle that Changbin never anticipated.

The two of them go from display to display, aquarium to reptile cages, space models and dinosaur bones with big eyes and childlike wonder and Changbin feels his heart melt bit by bit when Minho tells Hwayoung more about whatever they are looking at while she questions him on it and Minho never once loses his patience.

They reach a huge fish tank with tons of brightly colored fish swimming through a constructed coral reef and Hwayoung excitedly joins another young boy in giving all the fish individual names ranging from Nacho Cheese to Bob. Changbin hangs back to watch her with a smile on his face and almost doesn’t notice Minho sidling up to him until he hears him huff out a soft laugh.

“You look cute.”

The words make Changbin’s heart speed up and he turns to face Minho in the dim light coming from the fish tanks. “What?”

Minho shrugs and leans closer to him. “When you look at Hwayoung, you look really cute. You can see the love on your face.”

Changbin doesn’t really know what to say to that and so he does the next best thing, which is grabbing Minho by the collar of the shirt Changbin lent him so he wouldn’t have to wear the same clothes from the day before and pulling him to himself a little more roughly then necessary. The kiss he presses to Minho’s lips is firm and the swiftness of Changbin’s actions leaves his brain no time to overthink if he just fucked everything up. Because by the time his thoughts catch on to what’s happening, Minho is already kissing him back, wrapping his arms around Changbin’s waist.

He pulls back after a moment with a smile and a bashful look. “Took you long enough.”

Changbin thinks his eyes might pop out of his head at the response but Minho just laughs and turns back towards the tank to watch Hwayoung stare back at them, hands on her hips.

“Mr. Lee!”

She stomps over to them quick as lightning and glares at her teacher.

“Only I can give my dad a kiss.”

Changbin clears his throat and bends down to be on eye level with Hwayoung. “I think we can give him a free pass, Hwa.”

Hwayoung’s eyes flit between Changbin and Minho for a moment before she drags Changbin off a few steps away from Minho.

“Is Mr. Lee your boyfriend, Dad?”

The question catches Changbin off guard. “My boyf- what?”

“You can’t lead people on.”

“Where do you even learn these things?!”

Hwayoung shrugs at him. “That’s what the lady on tv said when Uncle Hannie watched the movie with me.”

The tour of the museum continues with Hwayoung eating a cone of cranberry ice cream she bullied Minho and Changbin into buying for her and the two adults holding hands as they trail behind her. When they reach a showcase of reconstructed extinct animals, Hwayoung’s discussion with Minho gets interrupted by a woman and a young girl barely older than Hwayoung.

“Minho?”

Minho spins around to stare at the woman with wide eyes. Changbin has no idea who the woman is but he can tell that Minho is not exactly happy to see her.

She eyes Hwayoung and Changbin for a second, her eyes lingering on where Minho and Changbin’s hands are interlaced and her expression transforms into a mocking, smug look.

“I had no idea you’d settle like this, Min.”

Minho grabs Changbin’s hand tightly, probably without even realizing it, and when Changbin looks over at him, he can tell he’s clenching his jaw.

“I’m just here to check out the museum with my niece, my father is about to buy this place. But…” She trails off and raises an eyebrow at Minho. “You sure let yourself go.”

If that was Minho letting himself go, Changbin can’t imagine what he looked like before. He strokes his thumb across the back of Minho’s hand and Minho relaxes a little.

“Good for you. Now if you’ll excuse us…”

The woman huffs out an obnoxious laugh. “I really thought you’d make something of yourself, Min. It’s a shame.”

“You’re not very nice to Mr. Lee.”

The woman looks down at Hwayoung with a disgusted look on her face. “Mr. Lee?”

“Mr. Lee is the best teacher. He knows everything and he is nice so you have to be nice to him.”

The glaring between the woman and Hwayoung ends when the lady turns her focus back on Minho. “A teacher. Really? I didn’t think our breakup would make you sink this low.”

Changbin can’t help himself. “Maybe it would have done you some good to learn something as well, like how to not be a disrespectful person for example.”

She gives him a condescending look but doesn’t say anything further.

“I think you should maybe show your niece around some more, though I hope she doesn’t learn anything from your terrible personality, Miss. So have a good one and leave my very attractive boyfriend alone from now on. You had your chance.”

Minho stares at him with an open mouth and Hwayoung lets out a giggle that Changbin should probably scold her for later. The woman huffs and rolls her eyes at them.

“Well I hope you have a great rest of the day, Mr. Lee.”

The way she spits out the words with pity makes Changbin’s blood boil and she leaves just as quickly as he has appeared, accompanied by her heels clacking on the marble floors of the museum.

Minho lets out a long, shaky breath once she is gone and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m so sorry about this…”

Changbin squeezes his hand lightly and offers him a warm smile. “Don’t listen to a word she says.”


	7. Pink & White Roses (I love you still and always)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys!
> 
> i got too drunk at a work meeting call on friday and hope no one noticed but IDK so i'm super nervous about tomorrow slkdghlskdhgl DONT BE LIKE ME KIDS  
> it's also -20 degrees celsius here at the moment so i am really cold and i want spring to come :(
> 
> i'd like to take a moment to thank you all for all your lovely comments, i really can't even tell you how much i appreciate each and every single one of them! you're all incredible, thank you for making my day better every time :) <3
> 
> this is the end and i'm sad to see this little domestic story come to a close, but please enjoy and feel free to hit me up on social media sometime or let me know what kind of stuff you would like to see in the future (i love hearing ideas/prompts and brainstorming!)
> 
> i hope you all have a lovely day/night and a great start to the week tomorrow~!! :D

Every morning, Changbin gets a Good Morning message from Minho. Every afternoon, Changbin sends him pictures of the flowers in the shop and any bouquets he may have made that day. Every evening, Minho calls Changbin to chat about the day. Every night, Changbin wishes him a goodnight before he falls asleep with a smile.

Minho actually likes him. All of him, the single dad, flower shop owner, insecure and awkward parts of him. And knowing that makes Changbin feel warm inside, happier than he has been in years.

They don’t get to meet privately because of busy work schedules until they run into each other at the super market two weeks later on a chilly late November night, Hwayoung immediately greeting him loudly, causing Minho to almost drop a carton of apple juice while whirling around to stare at his student and her father with a surprised look.

“What a coincidence”, he chuckles as he puts the juice carton in his shopping cart. “Nice to run into you two here.”

Hwayoung nods enthusiastically, then elbows her dad in the leg when he doesn’t say anything.

“Nice to see you too, Minho.”

They exchange a soft smile while Hwayoung takes the chance to grab some snacks from the aisle across from them and smuggle the items into Changbin’s cart without him noticing.

“Hwa said you guys are putting on a fall play, you must be pretty busy.”

Minho nods, leaning onto the handle of his own cart. “Yeah, I’m helping with the script and the art teacher Mr. Yang is doing the stage decorations. I think the kids are all making their own music for it in the music classes. It’ll be a good show, I’m counting on you to come.”

He says it with a wink and Changbin’s eyes drift over to Hwayoung grabbing a box of chocolate bars from the shelf, shaking his head at her and earning a pout in return as she puts the box back on the shelf.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Hwayoung is more than excited about getting one of the leading roles in the play, though Changbin is not sure if she understood that she is actually playing the villain.

“And then I will kiss Yeongmin!”

Changbin’s eyes widen at her statement. “Excuse me you will what now?”

They’re going through the script she brought home from school in the living room while sharing a too big portion of fries and Hwayoung rolls her eyes at her father.

“Yeongmin is playing the prince and I will kiss him.”

“But…” Changbin flips through the pages of the script. “It doesn’t say you will kiss anyone. You are seven years old, you’re too young to be kissing!”

“You kissed Mr. Lee!”

They have another Seo Staring Contest before Changbin pulls Hwayoung onto his lap with a sigh. She picks up some fries as Changbin puts their scripts aside.

“You know, you kiss someone when you really like them-”

“I like Yeongmin!”

“...when you’re older. Like when you’re a teenager or an adult. For you, you’re not allowed to kiss anyone until you’re married.”

“That’s not fair!”

Changbin tickles her and Hwayoung breaks out in laughter for a while before they both settle down again, Changbin embracing his daughter in a hug and he can tell she’s getting a bit sleepy.

“You like Mr. Lee, right, Hwa?”

Hwayoung nods against his chest and lets out a quiet yawn. “Mr. Lee is the best.”

“Would you mind if Mr. Lee became your dad’s boyfriend?”

His daughter leans back a bit to look at him with a thoughtful expression.

“Does that mean I can play with him more often then?”

Felix and Jisung are both at the shop on Friday afternoon, helping Hwayoung with last minute preparations for the play and Felix has appointed himself as her Hair and Makeup staff while Changbin is finishing up the cash register and watering the last few plants before they will close the shop for the weekend.

“And Mr. Lee said that I can become a great actress in the future but that I have to study hard.”

Jisung lets out a soft Ahh at Hwayoung’s story and pins a loose ribbon on her costume back into place while Felix keeps twisting her hair into wild curls.

“And Mr. Lee will be at this play tonight as well, Hwa?”, Jisung asks with a suggestive grin directed at Changbin.

“He will”, Changbin cuts in before Hwayoung can answer. “I’m going to ask him today.”

Jisung and Felix both stare at him while Hwayoung swings her little legs from the chair she’s sitting on. Changbin grabs one of the pink and one of the white roses left over from the last bouquet he bound and puts them in the button hole of his jacket.

“You’re going to ask him to… you know?” Felix whispers the last part with a glance at Hwayoung who unwraps the lollipop Jisung had given her earlier and pops it into her mouth.

“Dad is going to ask Mr. Lee to be his boyfriend so we can go to the museum again and to the park and to the zoo and…”

The lights in the small theater of the school darken and stage lights come on just a moment later, illuminating the decorations depicting a magical forest. As the music starts playing, Changbin feels someone slide into the empty seat next to him and looks over to find Minho smiling at him softly in the dim light.

“Hi.”

Before Changbin can say anything, Minho leans back in his chair, fixes his eyes on the stage and slides his hand into Changbin’s. Changbin glances down at their locked hands for a second, his heart beating like the first time he had asked a girl out to the school dance. Now or never.

He leans closer to Minho and opens his mouth to talk but gets cut off before he can say a single word.

“Unfortunately I most likely won’t be teaching Hwayoung’s class after this semester anymore”, Minho whispers without looking away from the play. “Because of a conflict of interest or something. I mean, that would probably be the case if I started dating the father of one of my students. And you know, that’s kind of what I want to do since I love you.”

He tears his gaze away now to look at Changbin with a hopeful smile on his face, noses so close they are almost touching.

Changbin can’t help but let out a soft laugh. “You really took the wind out of my sails here… I was just about to ask you if you would want to be my boyfriend.”

Minho’s smile widens and he leans forward to press a short, firm kiss onto Changbin’s lips. He bites his lip when he pulls away again, still smiling and focuses back on the play.

“Glad we’re on the same page then.”

**Author's Note:**

> pls lemme know what you guys think! :)
> 
> wishing you all the freshest day/night!


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